Seekers: Outcasts
by DINOSAUR215
Summary: A small family of black bears have traveled to Great Bear Lake to celebrate "The Longest Day," expecting it to go by normal and unprovoked, but when chaos ensues, one falls to the ground, and the two brothers soon find that they must embark on their greatest journey to survive.
1. Chapter 1 Taluk

Lush green grass tickled the three black bears' paws as they trekked across the open area, mountains looming in the distance and trees not too far ahead. Their ears twitched occasionally, as if expecting some sort of danger to pop out, but it was pleasant for now. The biggest of the three took in a deep breath, taking in the surrounding scents, and then exhaled slowly, a smile appearing onto her face. The two little cubs looked at her, puzzled, and inhaled too, realizing what their mother had scented. They started to bounce happily in joy, scampering around their mother in a haste to rush her. She let out a low growl, and pushed the oldest one, forcing him to stop running around like a hare.

"Taluk, stop hopping around like that, or you'll scare away all the prey." She advised him, quickly turning back and focusing on the trees ahead. Taluk huffed, giving his brother one last playful nip before pushing himself up. He followed his mother quietly, careful not to provoke her again. The young cub look behind him, staring at the other little bear as he hopped after them, still in his cheery mood.

"Full of pep..." Taluk muttered, slightly annoyed that his brother hadn't gotten the message as seriously as he did. "Pakoq, stop it! Didn't you hear mom?"

"I can play if I want!" The younger brother smiled, lifting his head up in defiance. The two crouched, as if ready to tackle and rip each other apart, before their mother snarled and pushed them away from each other.

"Stop fighting!" She snapped angrily, "Can't you see we're heading towards the forest for a reason? There's food in there! Look.. just... one of you stay on this side of me while the other stays on the other side." She pushed Taluk to her left, and Panoq to her right, shaking her head in annoyance. Taluk growled, peering around his mother's legs to take a quick peek at Panoq. Panoq just stared straight, obviously annoyed like him. The young cub let out a humph of anger, looking back at the tall trees, which were only a few bear-lengths away.

"Munaq..." Panoq let out a sudden whine, slowing his pace until he was behind her. "I'm hungry!"

"Shhh!" Munaq growled, ready to cuff her cub on the ear. "I though I said to be quiet! Do you want to eat?" Panoq shook his head eagerly, making Munaq sigh and shake her head. "Then stay here."

Taluk did as he was told, sitting onto the short grass as he watched their mom disappear into the trees to fetch dinner. Panoq sniffed, strolling up to his bigger brother.

"How about we continue our fight, bee-brain?" Panoq smirked, teasing Taluk. Taluk just snorted and turned his back on Panoq.

"I'm older than you! I know better!" Taluk frowned, trying his best to ignore Panoq, but he kept on talking.

"Yeah, only a little bit older! You're still a little cub, like me!" The small black bear chuffed, circling Taluk as his stumpy tail wagged in pleasure. "I bet I'm as strong as you are, or even better! I can leap across huge lakes and take down firebeasts with just a glare!"

"As if." Taluk huffed, still facing away from Panoq. He didn't want to give his younger sibling what he wanted, instead he'd do the opposite. His ears twitched, sensing the movement Panoq made. He could tell that he was still circling him, just waiting for him to explode in outrage. _I'm not a tiny little newborn anymore! Don't give in!_

He already knew he'd do it. The black bear cub leaped, tackling the oldest cub. Taluk gasped, pushed into the ground by the strong push. His muzzle practically dug into the ground like a shovel, making him sneeze. Taluk felt stinging pain in his back where his brother repeatedly pummeled him with his tiny paws, not giving up. Taluk let out a loud roar, not minding that his mother was hunting anymore as he rammed into Panoq, pinning him onto the ground and letting out a low snarl.

"Stop it, you stupid idiot!" Panoq panted, squirming around as he tried to escape Taluk's grasp. Taluk whacked him on the ear, and then released him, galloping about a few bear-lengths away until he thought he was far enough away from Panoq. Suddenly, the bushes lining the edge of the forest rustled loudly, as a huge black bear appeared, charging after them.

Munaq shouted angrily, her eyes burning with fury, "What did I tell you!? I told you to be quiet! Couldn't you have stayed quiet for a few minutes!? I almost caught a huge juicy deer until you started bickering!" She panted as she stopped bellowing, her fur matted with dirt as she glared at her two cubs. Panoq gulped nervously, not saying a word, but Taluk just raised his head and sniffed.

"He started it, mom." He muttered, pointing at his brother, who shot a burning glare at him. Munaq growled, staring directly at Taluk.

"Shut up, okay?" She snapped. "No more arguing, please? It's not worth it!"

Taluk snarled, raising his head, "But, but mom!" However Munaq quickly silenced him, nipping at his ear.

"I said I don't want to hear it! Thanks to you two, we'll have to go hungry for the night." The mother bear grumbled, looking away from them as she trudged onward without looking back. "Come on..."

Panoq just stared at his brother, the both of them looking angered and scared at the same time. Panoq was the first one to quickly jump up and follow the she-bear, as Taluk slowly tagged along behind them, his ears pinned down to his skull as he stared forward. The three bears marched forward, their black pelts quivering in the bright sunlight as the winds kicked up a bit. Taluk looked up, sniffing the air with intense concentration. He could smell deer, but he guess by the opacity of the scent that the deer had run off. _It's Panoq's fault for making mom miss the hunt.._

After about what seemed like a moon of walking, Munaq sighed, "Come down.." She sounded a lot gentler this time, all hints of aggression now gone. She stopped and looked at the two little bears, smiling softly. "Let's not stay mad forever, we're all just exhausted and hungry. How about we get some rest for the night?"

"Yeah!" Panoq suddenly squeaked, jumping up and down in the air. "I'm tired!"

"You don't seem tired.." Taluk growled, struggling just to stay up on his paws as sleep tried to overtake him right on the spot. His mother nudged him to get him awake, and stood back up, staring at the golden horizon as the sun started to dip down, half covered.

"Follow me." She turned, slowly making her way towards a small clump of large trees, their green leaves shaking as a small breeze rolled in, tickling their fur and blowing a familiar scent into their noses. The eldest cub shivered, realizing that rain was on the way. Munaq and Panoq knew too, as they all began hustling, jumping into the cover of the vegetation. Munaq whoofed, hoping that that would keep other bears out during the night, as she began searching around for a good place to sleep. She soon spotted a large tree with a hole inside, just big enough for the three of them. She nosed Panoq and Taluk in first, and then followed, squeezing into the packed den.

"Ow! Taluk, you're crushing my paw!" Panoq complained, flinching as pain flashed through his little paw. "Get off!"

Taluk rolled his eyes, positioning himself to where he wasn't crushing his little brother anymore, but then the cub yawned and stretched over his back, quickly falling asleep as soon as he got comfortable. "Just perfect... such a hypocrite.."

Munaq has curled up and smiled, keeping one eye open as she watched Taluk with amusement. "You know, Taluk, he's your little brother. You should show him more respect."

"But mom!" He whispered in complaint, his ears perked up as he stared at his mother, "He's such a little pipsqueak, and he's always trying to pick a fight with me!"

"I don't care." She replied, rubbing her nose. "He's still your sibling, no matter how he acts or what he does. I'm sure if you respect him, he'll treat you with respect as well. Remember that as the golden rule, little one." She flicked Taluk's nose playfully with one of her claws, and chuffed as Taluk smiled a bit.

"Fine, but if that doesn't work out, I'll treat him as if he's such a pile of rocks." He yawned, his eyes growing droopy with tears, as another yawn flew out of his mouth. He rested his head onto his paws, licking his jaws as he felt the darkness of sleep surround him, and take him away into wonderful and sweet dreams.

Taluk snarled, feeling a large paw jabbing into his side. He snapped awake, immediately leaping into a defensive stance, but relaxed when he saw it was just Munaq. Munaq motioned him toward the entrance, telling him to stay quiet as she led him deeper into the woods. Panoq quickly woke up, running after them until he managed to catch up, and slowed down to a slow trot, the two cubs following their mother.

"Where are we going?" Panoq asked, but was silenced almost immediately by Munaq, as she kept on sneaking through the undergrowth. Soon, they reached a small creek, a tiny herd of deer standing on it's banks with their heads dipped low in the cold water.

"Prey.." She murmured. "If you stay quiet, you can watch and see how a real bear hunts." Panoq nodded, struggling not to squeak with excitment. Taluk huffed quietly, watching as his brother kept fidgeting, until he finally stopped. Munaq slowly crept out, creeping around the herd as she slunk past trees and stayed in the covers of the foliage. Once she knew she was close enough, she dug her claws into the ground, and then pushed off with her powerful hind legs, letting out a terrifying roar as she landed on top of a startled doe. The doe let out a shriek, struggling as it tried to wriggle free, but Munaq easily finished it off, sinking her sharp teeth into it's neck and twisting it around, causing the prey to fall limp in her jaws. The dead doe's herdmates panicked, running off in a mad haste to escape, as their hooves thumped against the ground and splashed in the water, the noise quickly fading away as they soon disappeared.

"Nice catch!" Panoq squealed, tumbling out from their hiding place as Taluk followed. The three bears smiled, staring at the delicious food in front of them, as they dipped their heads and ate until they couldn't eat anymore.

"Let's go..." Munaq stood up, leaving the carcass behind as she trudged up the steep hill from where she leaped from. Her two sons followed closely behind, their paws pressing softly into the dirt as they left the forest behind. Munaq kept her head high in pride, leading them north for what seemed like an eternity.

Soon, they saw what they had been heading for, a large lake in the distance, glittering as if it greeted them.

"We've made it to Great Bear Lake."


	2. Chapter 2 Panoq

"Oh, finally, we've made it! No more walking for hours and hours on end!" Panoq cried in glee, racing ahead without looking back. For the first time since, ever since they left their home to reach Great Bear Lake, he actually enjoyed running without stopping, even though his paws ached a little. He strode on further, his muscles pumping to make him faster and faster.

"Hey idiot!" His brother called out to him. "Watch where you're going!"

Panoq was about to respond sarcastically, when he huffed in surprise, slamming into something big and brown.

"Hey!" The stranger bellowed and turned on him. "You stupid, bratty, ignorant little piece of rotten meat! I'll fix you up good with my claws, maybe fix those ears of yours first!"

"Oh shush." A new voice cooed softly. Another brown bear appeared, but this time it was female. The bear seemed younger and a lot more friendlier, nudging the bigger male. "Don't scare the cub like that."

He growled, flicking the ground with his lethal claws as he kept his beady eyes on the little black bear, "The little brat bumped into me though!"

"That's no reason to kill a baby." She smiled softly, pushing him away gently.

"I-I'm not a baby!" Panoq raised his head, despite how terrified he was from the encounter. "I'm big and strong! I can leap across lakes and-"

"Save it, kid." The she-bear turned her head to look at Panoq as she led the grumpy bear away, her eyes sparkling, "That's only gonna make my dad grumpier. Just save your breath, alright?"

Panoq stared at them with wide curious eyes, watching them until they were just tiny dots heading towards the large lake. Munaq quickly rushed over to him, nuzzling him vigorously as she fretted and murmured.

"Panoq! Are you okay? Did he hurt you?"

"I'm fine, mom!" He laughed, pushing her muzzle away. "I'm strong, see? I didn't get a single scratch! He was too scared to land a claw on me!" He bounced around, accidentally slamming into Taluk.

"Stop!" Taluk snarled, rubbing his nose as he clambered back onto his paws. "That's two bears you've ran into already!"

He stuck his tongue out at him, rushing over to Munaq as she slowly trudged onward. "Mom... was that a brown bear? Is your story true?"

"Yes." She smiled, looking at her youngest son. "Of course I am, I've seen many brown bears even before you were born."

"What about white bears? Are they real too?" He asked, curiosity lending him so many questions about the bears he never saw before.

Munaq chuckled and nodded, raising her paw to rub Panoq on the head playfully. "Yes, yes, my dear. White bears are, in fact, real too. But I've never really seen any except at the Longest Day. They live where it's cold."

"Wow! I bet there's pink bears, and green bears, and.. and.. rainbow bears!" Panoq squealed, scampering ahead of Munaq.

Taluk let out a loud snort of annoyance, chasing after his little brother. He kept running and running, his legs giving him speed as he zoomed at to Panoq, sticking his tongue out at him as he got ahead of him. "Hah! And for your information, you're really dumb to believe that rainbow bears exist!"

Panoq growled playfully, leaping at Taluk. They rolled and rolled, swatting at each other. Panoq yelped as they rammed into something fuzzy. _Uh oh, another brown bear! Please don't eat me! _But to his relief, it was just another black bear cub, which had been knocked over. It got up and looked at them both with small eyes, and then it began batting at their ears, squeaking with delight. Panoq quickly shook himself free from Taluk and rushed away, back to Munaq. Taluk just stayed and swatted back at the cub, until it's mother turned on him and roared, making him run away.

"Ahahaha!" Panoq howled with laughter, rolling onto his back. "You got scared, you got scared!"

"Shut up!" Taluk snapped his teeth at his brother, and strolled away to the luscious forest, making sure to stay in the area where the black bears stayed.

"Boo hoo hoo, someone's just upset." Panoq shouted teasingly, before following more slowly into the woods.

The cub gasped at the many wonders, seeing so many black bears. Even though he couldn't see much berries, his mouth drooled as he could scent them. He galloped farther into the forest, searching for the source of the berry scent. He halted at a fairly small bush, spotting purple dots on the leaves. In satisfaction that he had found something to eat, he nosed into the bush, eating the delicious berries. Panoq licked his muzzle clean of the scrumptious juices, and then stood up onto his four paws, rubbing his nose with his paws.

"Mommy!" Someone shrilled unhappily in the distance. "Mommy, that little cub ate the berries I was going for!"

"Leave him alone." Another voice reassured the cub. "He looks hungrier than you. He needs those berries."

"Awww..." The cub whined, being led back into the forest, leaving the happy Panoq to lay next to the bush by himself.

A twig snapped suddenly, startling Panoq as he dove into the bush, shivering. He peeked out to look, seeing that it was only his brother, who seemed mad. Taluk stormed his way over to Panoq, huffing angrily.

"Bee-brain." He rolled his eyes. "Why didn't you save any berries for me?" His pitch black pupils narrowed, as he added rudely, "Or are you too selfish to care about your own family?"

"Am not! I care!" Panoq shook his head, stumbling back into the small clearing as he struggled to get some leaves off of his fur.

"Well, since mom's not around at the moment, how about a little fight to prove it?" Taluk grinned, triumph giving him strength as he rose his head up high.

"Dummy, stop acting as if you know you're gonna win! I'll win, I will!" Panoq stomped his paws on the ground, growing outraged as he trudged closer towards his brother, giving him a few threatening gestures with his claws.

Munaq strode gracefully in between them, and sighed, nudging the littler cub away from Taluk. "Panoq, stop. You too, Taluk."

Taluk growled, but did as he was told, scampering off to go fishing for some food before the shore got too crowded. Munaq sat down next to Panoq, shaking her head sadly as she dragged him closer to her. She seemed to be swaying from side to side, murmuring a little tune as if to calm Panoq, when it really just annoyed him. Panoq stared up at his mother, opening his mouth to speak.

"Sh." She slowly opened her eyes, watching Panoq. She smiled softly and yawned, "Panoq... why can't you leave Taluk alone?"

"Mom! He's the one that starts the trouble!" He started, but he was quickly hushed again as Munaq proceeded to speak.

"I told Taluk this last night. Treat your brother the way you want to be treated. That's the golden rule.. well, one of them." She nuzzled Panoq, smiling.

Panoq looked down doubtfully at the ground, not really knowing if that would work. He pawed at the ground and scooted away from his mother, letting out a long sigh as he rubbed his nose. Munaq guessed that he wanted to be alone, and rose up, lumbering away to find some place to rest in the sturdy trees. Panoq continued staring at the grassy ground, flicking at leaves and sticks as he watched them fly in the soft breeze and roll away from him. The little bear cub then looked at the sky, which was nothing blue light blue, dotted with a few white puffs here and there. _Why should I treat Taluk fairly, if all he does is treat me bad in return?_

A few hours passed by, the sun rising into the highest point of the sky, and then slowly plummeting to the horizon. The day had been good, with plenty of fish for almost every bear to eat. Some said that the spirits were in a good mood, others said it was just luck. The two brothers just thought it was both, and so did their mom. Taluk had caught around three fish, though he had eaten them all.

Munaq was fishing at the shore, her paw dipped in the water as the first stars began glittering in the dark sky, shining on the lake's sparkling surface. Panoq was sitting next to her, peering into the shallow water. He poked his tiny paw in, and flinched, quickly bringing it back out.

"Brrrr! It's cold! Brr!"

Munaq just laughed silently, still waiting for a fish to nibble curiously at her thick furry paw. After waiting for a few more minutes, she felt something softly biting her leg, and quickly swatted at it with her claws, throwing it onto the rocky bank. She swiftly swung her head down, crunching into the slim body of her prey, killing it instantly.

Panoq squeaked and cheered, observing her catch. "Wow mom, great fish! It looks tasty!" He took a step closer, and sniffed it. "Can I have it?"

"Sure." She nudged it to him, watching as he bit into the fish and quickly devour it.

"Ugh..." Taluk rumbled, hiding his face with his front paws as he rolled onto his side. "Trying to sleep here..."

Panoq just laughed, splashing into the water. He immediately scrambled back out, shivering and dripping with cold water as he squeezed into Munaq's side, trying to get warm. She pushed herself away, giggling as he jumped, shaking his fur. Water droplets flew in every direction, but luckily, none of them landed on his brother or any other bear.

"Goodness!" She smiled. "That must really be cold."

"It is!" He rose onto his two back legs, shaking his pelt a little more before he felt a bit dry. "Well.. I'm gonna try to catch a fish now. Stupid water won't stop me from catching prey!"

Panoq plunged one of his paws into the water, the freezing shock only affecting him for a little, until he managed to ignore it. He waited and waited for what seemed like an eternity, until a fish finally touched his paw. He tried to claw at it like his mother had done, but it swam fast, zooming away. He let out a low cry of defeat, looking back at his mother.

Munaq's eyes sparkled, her left ear flicking as she urged her youngest son on, "C'mon, try at least once more."

This pumped encouragement into Panoq's muscles, as he dipped his leg back in, waiting. He waited and waited, growing impatient as he groaned and sighed. Finally, another fish took the bait, bumping into his paw. He rammed his lethal weapons as fast as he could into the fish's body, and this time, he caught it! He watched in amazement as it flew out of the lake, landing onto the ground as it flopped and struggled to get back to it's comrades. He stomped onto it, killing it.

"Good work, you caught the fish!" His mother marveled, walking towards him. "Good job!"

"I did it! And guess what I get to do since I won it?" He smiled proudly, ready to sink his teeth into his prize, when the menacing voice of a large and bulky brown bear boomed.

"I know what you get to do. You get to give the fish to me."


End file.
